Playdate with Wyatt...

Our friends Heidi and Wyatt came over for a visit today! Wyatt was born in September and will be 8 months already! They weren't quite sure what to make of each other.

Wyatt was a great sport for the pictures. Larkyn looks a little tuckered out!

Larkyn was just upset because Wyatt can sit up by himself and she's still working on that:)

Snoozing with Daddy...

I'm not sure which one is more tired, Shea or Larkyn? They definitely enjoy their naps together!

Baby Shower for Larkyn...

On Saturday, April 24th, Larkyn was showered with love from our friends and family back in Cedar Falls. It was great to see many of our family and family friends that we have not seen in a long time. Larkyn was awake for the beginning and end of the shower, but slept for most of it! We received very cute clothes to add to her closet of PINK, books, and many other wonderful gifts!

Larkyn's 2nd cousins MacKenzie and Nicole

The "Dreyer" girls

Courtney, Megan and Kim

McKenna came after the shower to "play" for awhile. Imagine that, they had the same outfit! It's not like McKenna's mom, Krista, and I ever had matching outfits:)

Moms and Daughters

Krista, McKenna, Kim and Larkyn

First Day of School...

Larkyn and I had our first day of school today! We are signed up for a Mommy and Me class through the hospital and met 9 other moms and babies at our class today. It seems like a great opportunity to connect with other moms and talk about everything on our mind from feeding, sleeping, playing, etc. It is always reassuring to know that other moms are experiencing the same things and though babies are very different they do many of the same things over time! The youngest baby in the class is 2 1/2 weeks and the oldest is 4 months old! There are 5 boys in the class and 5 girls, so it will be fun to watch them grow over the next 6 weeks and discuss their changes. Below is a picture of Larkyn on her first day of school all ready to go! She looks a little nervous:)

Our friends Scott and Heidi had a little girl on April 7th, Lily Rae and Heidi and Lily are in our class too. Larkyn is almost 7 weeks and Lily just turned 3 weeks!

They both were great on their first day! Larkyn looks a little worn out!


Larkyn was worn out! She slept from the minute we left class and a couple hours after that! Because of that nap I was able to finally catch up on some blogging! Wahoo!

Still lovin' bath time...

Larkyn still loves the bath and sitting in the warm water. The bath luve (the blue fish over her) is one of the best bath time tools we have! It is a large, cutesy, washcloth that we soak in warm water and put over body to keep her warm while we clean her up. She loves the water and has started slipping her feet and hands off the sling into the water below her. It seems to be her way of playing at this time! Every bath night Shea and I say "tonight could be the night" for the poops in the tub, but we have yet to see it! Though she has peed a couple times:)

Larkyn has found herself in the kitchen sink faucet and now loves looking that way during her baths!

Big Foot or Big Toe?

It's too early to tell who's toes Larkyn's resemble, but we do know she has inherited both Shea and my long and narrow feet. We are still anxiously awaiting the growth of her big toe, because as you can tell by this picture, my toe is quite large! I have been teased many times about my "hammer" toe, however I don't believe there is anyone who can give thumbs up with their big toe quite as well as I can!

More Visitors...

"Lets see who can make the silliest face!" Grandpa Jim came to visit us and stayed the night. We took him on his first trip to the Mall of America and R.E.I. Larkyn was pretty surprised she had already been to MOA before Grandpa. It was a beautiful day, so when we got home we were able to grill out and enjoy some time outside.

Larkyn and Grandpa Jim even enjoyed a nap together. Its hard to tell who did more sleeping:)

Larkyn's 3rd cousin Tory and Great Great Aunt Sue came over for a visit!

Watch me grow (one month)...

Granny Janny gave Larkyn a "Watch Me Grow" mat for Easter so we can measure her as she grows! These pictures were taken around one month and she measured in at 22 inches (roughly). She grew about an inch and a half since birth!

More from the 5 generation visit...

5 Generations is quite a special thing. When I was a baby, I had a picture with my mom Debbie, grandma Barb, great grandma Bea, and my great great grandma Leah. I know I have that picture somewhere! I will have to find it and but them side by side in Larkyn's baby book!

"Are we almost done with this photo shoot? It's making me tired!"

Great Great Grandma Bea and Larkyn

Larkyn is one month old!

I can't believe how quickly this past month has come and gone! Larkyn is already 1 month old and growing so fast! She is working her way out of newborn clothes and into 0-3 months, however most of her pants are still HUGE! Larkyn continues to be our little wiggle worm! Her arms and legs are constantly moving. She has started to bat objects or grasp objects (mostly fabric/clothing) and tug at them. Larkyn is also holding her head up for short moments at a time when she is in a supported sitting position. She is able to pick up her head and move it from one side to the other when on her tummy as well. One of the most enjoyable moments with her has been bath time. She loves the warm water and getting her hair washed and combed. Even though she's our little mover, she still does quite a bit of snuggling. Shea keeps asking her how long she will continue to allow him to snuggle with her and kiss her!

"Mom, are we going to have to do this every month?"

"Hey Giraffe, are you one month old too?"


In the afternoon we went to visit Jessi and Hannah. Hannah is doing much better now that she has fully recovered from RSV. She spent a week at Children's hospital at just 2 weeks of age. Hannah had many people praying for a healthy and speedy recovery, and she was able to come home a week ago Monday. It was very fun to see her again, even though Larkyn slept most of the time. When we got there Larkyn and Hannah were taking turns "talking" (crying) to each other. They spent some time trying to "talk" over each other too! Hopefully next time we have a play date they'll both be in good spirits! Below are some pictures from our visit. Hannah was wide awake and checking out Larkyn. She looks a little spooked and confused as to who the person is next to her!

"I wasn't trying to punch her, just trying to wake her up...I promise!"

A visit to see Great Great Grandma Bea...

On Sunday, we made a trip down to Austin, Minnesota to visit Great Great Grandma Bea. She has been looking forward to meeting Larkyn for quite some time and taking a 5 generation picture together. Larkyn was bright-eyed and alert for her visit and enjoyed conversation with Grandma Bea.:) We enjoyed hearing about how so much has changed since she's had her 5 daughters. She said she had to stay in bed for 8 days after delivery before getting up and moving around! YIKES! We also enjoyed seeing Mary, Joe, and Kristina who came down to visit as well. My mom and grandma and grandpa also came up in order to be a part of the photo.

"So Grandma, tell me more about life on the farm!"

This is the 5 beautiful ladies getting ready for our photo shoot! Joe took many pictures and we're anxiously awaiting to get them back!

My godmother Beth and her daughter Paiton stopped by to sneak a peek at Larkyn!

Cousin Kristina got a chance to bond with little Larkyn

This time Larkyn was a little more calm for the 4 generation photo with Grandma Debbie and Great Grandpa Ralph.

Larkyn's 1st Bottle...

We gave Larkyn her first bottle this past weekend. Daddy and Larkyn were able to share this first experience together. We were a little unsure how she would do, but the second the milk touched her tongue she sucked it down quickly! Shea gave her a bottle on Monday night when I was out with the neighbor gals for ladies night and she took to it very well again. Though the look on her face is more like "hmm...this is different!" she really seems to do well with it!

Easter Sunday...

Larkyn's first Easter started out with a bang...literally! She had just finished eating and I was changing her diaper in order to get her ready for church. I thought she had completed her "duty" but I thought wrong! Just as I lifted her bottom a little to wipe she gave a good push and shot poop all over my shirt and pants. Good thing I wasn't in my church clothes yet! Though we call her our "little super pooper", I was quite surprised she could shoot that far! Needless to say I now make sure there is a shield up at all times! Luckily for all of us, she was not in her Easter dress yet! She wasn't quite sure what to think about her outfit and big flower headband.

Our first Easter as a family of 3!

We met up with McKenna and Krista at church for more pictures. Look closely at the next couple of pictures. McKenna reached out to hold Larkyn's hand. She was already letting her know that they would be friends!

Cousin Kayce and Larkyn

Aunt Courtney and Larkyn